Image Comics Return to the Big Screen

[TheButcher]

From Screen Rant:
Screenwriter Derek Haas Talks ‘Wanted 2′ Script

Screen Rant: Wanted 2 has been in some form of development now since 2008, going through several writer and cast changes. How did you and your writing partner Michael Brandt get involved in the franchise again?

DH: We really wanted to work on it following the first film but didn’t get the chance to, for various reasons. We got a call from Universal a month or so ago asking if we had interest in returning to the WANTED world and we leapt at the chance.

You told The Wrap that the sequel would pick up with the Wesley character several years after the events of the first film. What has Wesley been doing for the last few years? Also, because the first film’s narrative was driven by Wesley’s character arc from loser to bad ass assassin, how will the sequel be different now that he understands his abilities?

Good questions. We’d tell you, but then we’d have to curve a bullet through your head from two miles away.

On Twitter, you said that your draft of Wanted 2 wouldn’t feature the Fox character or the “Loom of Fate.” What elements of The Fraternity will return for the second film? Will the four other chapters of The Fraternity from Mark Millar’s original graphic novel play a role in the new movie? Also, given that the organization is supposed to be 1,000 years old, will you draw on the history of The Fraternity for the screenplay?

I think I’ve said too much already. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t even like to watch trailers because I’d rather the whole film be a surprise when I walk into the theater. This movie is going to introduce some new characters to the WANTED world while staying grounded. We tried to do that in the first one, and we’ll try to do it here. In the first movie, the mantra was “kill one, save a thousand.” We’re going to turn that on its head.

Timur Bekmambetov’s over-the-top action sequences were one of the main reasons that Wanted was a huge hit at the box office. Not knowing whether Bekmambetov will return for the sequel, will you be writing action sequences differently to match the director’s unique visual style?

I am going to wrestle that Russian maniac into Universal and make him direct this one again.

Obviously, your job is to turn in the best draft of the screenplay you can write, but what else do you know about the film’s development schedule? If Universal loves your screenplay, what else needs to fall into place to get Wanted 2 on the big screen?

If you tried to game out all of the “what ifs” on how a movie gets to screen, you’d drive yourself insane. All you can do is write the screenplay you’d want to see on the screen, and hope that everyone else shares that vision.

[TheButcher]

'SNL's' Jorma Taccone to Direct New Line Action-Comedy 'The Great Unknown' (Heat Vision Exclusive)

Taccone's next project is an adaptation of the Image comic book, with Michael Starrbury attached to write the script.

[TheButcher]

Timur Bekmambetov Says "Shocking" Sequel To 'Wanted' Will Follow James McAvoy's Wesley Gibson & Features A "Great Twist"

[TheButcher]

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Millar Talks JUPITER'S LEGACY Movie; Wants Richard Dreyfuss To Star

Ahead of the release of Jupiter's Legacy #1 this week, we managed to catch up with writer Mark Millar to ask him how work is progressing on the planned movie version, who he has in mind to direct and star, and whether he envisions the big screen adaptation taking place over more than one film. Check it out!

[TheButcher]

Mark Millar Updates On WANTED 2 & SUPERIOR; Michael Caine Confirmed For SECRET SERVICE

[TheButcher]

Mark Millar’s MPH Optioned For Big Screen Adaptation
Plot follows four 19 year olds who get their hands on a drug that gives them super speed for seven days.

[TheButcher]

THR 12/13/2013:
Fox in Talks to Pick Up Mark Millar's 'Starlight'
Simon Kinberg of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" will produce the comic book adaptation.

The comic, drawn by Goran Parlov and due to be published by Image in March, is described by Millar as Flash Gordon meets The Dark Knight Returns. It centers on a space hero who saved the universe 35 years ago but came back to Earth, where no one believed his fantastic stories. He settled down, got married, had kids and got old, but then is called back for one last adventure when his old rocket shows up.

[TheButcher]

Mark Millar Comic 'MPH' Optioned by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Exclusive)
See THR's exclusive sneak peak of "MPH," with a teaser from the new comic by Millar and artist Duncan Fegredo.

[TheButcher]

Heavy Metal, Weta Workshop’s Pukeko Pictures to Adapt ‘Rat Queens’ (EXCLUSIVE)

[TheButcher]

Rob Liefeld Fielding Calls About SUPREME Film Rights
Yesterday, comic book artist and writer, Rob Liefeld, tweeted that he had received two calls recently inquiring about the film rights to Supreme.

[TheButcher]

'Star Wars' Stand-Alone Writer Gary Whitta to Pen 'Starlight' for Fox (Exclusive)

Gary Whitta has already nabbed one of the hottest writing gigs out there, penning one of the Star Wars stand-alone films, and now he's signed on to work on another hot space hero project.

Whitta will write the script for Fox's Starlight, based on the comic from Wanted and Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar. The comic, drawn by Goran Parlov, centers on a space hero, Duke McQueen, who saved the universe four decades ago but came back to Earth, where no one believed his fantastic stories. But years later, after he's settled down and grown up, he's recruited for one last adventure.

The first issue from Image Comics came out in March and launched the much-anticipated Millarworld Universe. Starlight #5 hit shelves on Aug. 13. Fox picked up the project for adaptation in late 2013.

Simon Kinberg, who worked on X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, will produce, reuniting him with Millar as he's also producing an adaptation of Millar’s Kindergarten Heroes. Steve Asbell is overseeing for Fox.

Whitta is writing the script for the first Star Wars spin-off film, which Godzilla helmer Gareth Edwards will direct. The Lucasfilm and Disney project has a release date set for Dec. 16, 2016, but is highly secretive, so there's still no official word on what character the story will center on.

[TheButcher]

Casting the Starlight Movie with Mark Millar
Mark Millar discusses sci-fi adventure Starlight and speculates as to who could play Duke McQueen in the forthcoming film.

[TheButcher]

Comics Alliance:
Image Releases First Pages From ‘Chronononauts’ By Sean Gordon Murphy & Mark Millar

THR:
Universal Options Mark Millar's 'Chrononauts'
Chris Morgan is attached to produce, with Millar and Sean Gordon Murphy on board to exec produce.

[TheButcher]

'Walking Dead' Creator Inks First-Look Film Deal With Universal (Exclusive)
Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment includes 'The Walking Dead,' 'Invincible' and 'Outcast.'

[TheButcher]

EXCLUSIVE: Brian and Mark Gunn Writing Jupiter's Legacy Film

Screenwriters Brian and Mark Gunn are officially writing a film adaptation of the hit comic book series Jupiter's Legacy from writer Mark Millar and artist Frank Quitely. It was announced last year that Millar and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura had partnered to develop an adaptation of the story, but no updates had been released until today. The Gunns met with Millar yesterday and are currently hard at work on the screenplay.

Jupiter's Legacy is the story of a world filled with superheroes where the next generation decides to overthrow the status quo seizing control of the United States by force in an ill-advised attempt to improve the world around them. The comic series reflects both on the superhero genre and the nature of hope in the face of overwhelming problems, as well as the changing perspective between generations.

Bonaventura has produced a variety of major blockbusters before, including comics-related franchises like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Constantine. The Gunns are best know for previously collaborating on the story and screenplay for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. They are also related to director James Gunn best known for his work on the comics adaptation Guardians of the Galaxy.

ComicBook.Com writer Chase Magnett had the opportunity to ask the Gunns a few questions about their plans to adapt the series to the big screen.

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What attracted you to the concept of Jupiter's Legacy initially?

We love that it’s a superhero story about families. How it takes big superhero iconography and makes it relatable to anyone who wrestles with their relationship to their mom or dad, or brother or sister, or son or daughter. It feels very human-sized. We ourselves grew up in a sprawling Irish-Catholic family that was sorta like a discount Midwest version of the Kennedys. Our parents and grandparents were political leaders, lawyers, judges, titans of industry. So when we were growing up we struggled with this family legacy - this burden of living up to the standards of those who came before us, this sense that the past was noble and glamorous while our lives were somehow less than, a falling off. Some of us from this current generation have gone on to do cool things - while others of us have dealt with feeling like misfits and disappointments. It’s this struggle which is at the heart of Jupiter’s Legacy, and which we’re really excited to bring to the screen.

Comics written by Mark Millar have seen a lot of success in being adapted to the big screen, from Kick-Ass to Kingsman. What do you think makes his concepts so appealing and able to be adapted from comics to film?

Mark is a master at telling stories about superheroes in the real world. Even Secret Service, which is very elevated and stylized - it feels like a tall tale - has grounded characters with authentic backgrounds. This is one of the many reasons his comics make for good films: they make the unbelievable believable.

Frank Quitely has defined the look of superheroes in comics multiple times and is doing it again in Jupiter's Legacy. When thinking about transforming the comic into a movie, what visual elements do you think will distinguish it from the other superhero films of today?

We’ve been a fan of Frank Quitely’s work for a long time. In fact, many of his strengths are the same as Mark’s - he’s able to take big iconic heroes and, with just a slight shrug of the shoulders, or a heaviness to their gait, make them fallible, human, close to us. That mixture of larger-than-life and down-to-earth really informs our take on the material. As for what visual elements of Jupiter’s Legacy stand out from other superhero films - well, one big one is how Frank portrayed Walter’s powers. Think, for example, of the panel in the first book, where Walter traps Blackstar in a kind of psychic painting, the full-color image boxed within fainter pen-and-ink drawings. We found this incredibly evocative. It offers all kinds of fun surrealistic possibilities that aren’t quite like anything we’ve seen in other superhero films.

Superheroes have never been a hotter commodity in Hollywood and this is a comic that deconstructs the genre while also embracing it. How do you expect audiences to respond to a movie that's as much about their favorite genre of blockbuster as it is part of it?

Obviously fans of the genre will be able to pick up all kinds of allusions in the material - The Utopian, for example, as a version of Superman, or Skyfox as Batman. Even the sequences on the island can be seen as a play on King Kong or Indiana Jones. The important thing is to use these references as starting points - not just let them sit there as hyperlinks that you can pat yourself on the back for picking up on, but to expand on them, breathe new life into them.

Jupiter's Legacy isn't just about superheroes though. It's a story of politics, the future, hope, and generations. What themes and concepts are you discovering have the most resonance as you create your own treatment of the story?

One of the really cool things about Jupiter’s Legacy is how it encompasses the entire sweep of American politics over the past century - the Great Depression, World War II, the culture wars of the Sixties, and so on. But it’s not just about history - it’s very of-the-moment as well. Look at the candidacy of Donald Trump, with his slogan Make America Great Again, or look at the battles in the U.S. and Europe over whether to include immigrants and refugees and Muslims into the mainstream and you’ll see that the anxiety over who we are vs. who we used to be is at a fever pitch right now. These controversies really informed our take - particularly with how we see Walter, a paranoiac who wants to build higher walls, an entire surveillance/police state, to root out his enemies.

The story has a very epic scope with dozens of characters, time jumps, huge action sequences, and a significant thematic split at its center. Do you see this as a story that can be told in a single film, and how much of a challenge would that be to adapt?

We’re going to give you an annoying answer: yes and no.

Yes, we plan to tell a completely standalone story with a nice shape and a satisfying climax. And yet we don’t see it as completely closed-off either. The canvas is too big. The generations of characters too sprawling. The world Mark depicted can spiral off into so many different directions. It demands sequels!

[TheButcher]

‘Captain America: Civil War’s Mark Millar Gives Birth To ‘Reborn’ With DC Comics ‘Batman’ Artist Greg Capullo:
Is This The Next Big IP For Hollywood?

[so sorry]

‘Captain America: Civil War’s Mark Millar Gives Birth To ‘Reborn’ With DC Comics ‘Batman’ Artist Greg Capullo:

Maybe I haven't had enough coffee yet this morning... I had to read that sentance 5 times before I understood it.

[TheButcher]

J. Michael Straczynski’s Top Cow Superhero Comic ‘Rising Stars’ In MGM Movie Deal

[Ribbons]

J. Michael Straczynski’s Top Cow Superhero Comic ‘Rising Stars’ In MGM Movie Deal

The only problem is that Heroes stole pretty much 75% of the story, but I love that book anyway so I'm hoping this is true.

[TheButcher]

THR APRIL 04, 2017:
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg to Adapt Robert Kirkman Comic 'Invincible' for Universal (Exclusive)

Comic fans Rogen and Goldberg will write, direct and produce a movie adaptation, with the 'Walking Dead' creator also producing.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are teaming up with Robert Kirkman to bring the Walking Dead creator’s comic book Invincible to the big screen for Universal.

Rogen and Goldberg will write, direct and produce the adaptation of the comic, which has been continually published since 2003.

Kirkman will also produce, via his shingle Skybound Entertainment and his Skybound cohorts David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst. The project falls under Skybound’s first-look deal with Universal. James Weaver, a principal with Rogen and Goldberg at their banner Point Grey, also will produce.

Invincible is Kirkman’s second-longest running title after The Walking Dead and follows Mark Grayson, a normal high school student with just one difference between him and his peers — his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, and he, too, will inherit his own set of superpowers.

The comic book, which Kirkman created with Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker, is now on its 133rd issue and explores Mark’s journey as he discovers what it means to be the son of the hero, named Omni-Man, and the reality behind his greatest responsibility: protecting planet Earth.

“For nearly a decade I've had to endure the ‘what about Invincible?’ question as fans have watched The Walking Dead grow into the multimedia monstrosity it has become over the years,” Kirkman said in a statement. “The answer was always that we were waiting for the right team to partner with. That team has arrived! The esteemed misters Goldberg and Rogen have proven themselves to be top-notch directors with a keen collective eye for stunning visuals after slumming it by writing hit after juggernaut hit.”

Kirkman continued: “Invincible's surprising, edgy, shocking, and oftentimes blood-soaked story couldn't be in more capable hands. With the team of Rogen, Goldberg and Universal, I'm very confident this will be another superhero movie, in a long line of superhero movies that continues to prove that it's a viable, thrilling genre that will keep people coming to the cinema for years to come.”

"No matter how much damage it causes our bodies, minds, and our most intimate relationships with those we love, we will not rest until Invincible is as great a movie as it deserves to be,” Rogen and Goldberg said jointly in a statement.

Rogen and Goldberg made their debut as a directing team on 2013’s apocalyptic comedy This Is the End, and followed that up with 2014’s The Interview. The comic book fans then adapted the Garth Ennis-Steve Dillon comic The Preacher, co-writing and directing the pilot and serving as executive producers on the AMC show, whose second season debuts in June.

The duo is now working on directing and exec producing the Hulu comedy series Future Man.

Kirkman is repped by CAA, Circle of Confusion and Katz Golden. Rogen and Goldberg are repped by UTA and Felker Toczek.

How Robert Kirkman's 'Invincible' Could Inspire Years of Big-Screen Adventures

[TheButcher]

20th Century Fox Eyeing Sylvester Stallone For Lead In Starlight Comic To Film Adaptation

[TheButcher]

"And now, Spawn, so turn off your lights."

ComicBook July 24, 2017:
Todd McFarlane Likens The Spawn Movie To Jaws

Of all the massive announcements that took place over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, perhaps one of the biggest for comic book fans was Todd McFarlane announcing that there would be a new Spawn movie on the way.

In addition to discussing a slew of major A-list actors who were interested in the project, McFarlane revealed to ComicBook.com that the story's narrative structure was similar to that in Steven Spielberg's Jaws, which seemed like an unlikely inspiration.

McFarlane explained, "There's two big roles in the script. There's obviously sort of Spawn himself, although in a weird way it's not the biggest role, and then there's the cop. The cop is this character Twitch who's been there since issue #1. Twitch is the role in this one, and I sort of refer to him as my sheriff Brody, who is the sheriff in the Jaws movie. Although it was called Jaws, Jaws didn't really talk a lot in his movie, right? He just kind of showed up at the opportune time to make the movie worthwhile."

"It was sheriff Brody, the humans talking, chasing the fantastical thing that sort of made the movie, and to me, there's that element," continued McFarlane. "Everything else is normal in this story other than (gesture) the shadow moves, and at times even when it moves, the cop just sort of thinks he's losing his mind so he doesn't even trust that the shadow's moving. If you're a bad guy, then this thing is going to come and it's going to get you."

Considering how seldom the shark in Jaws is actually seen on screen, we should anticipate Spawn to get much more screen time in the film than that, as McFarlane pointed out he's still a major part of the film. Rather, the idea of the film, at least partially, being told from an average civilian instead of the supernatural "hero" is that similarity.

As for the actors he's considering for the roles in the film, McFarlane teased Academy Award-winning talent, saying, "Yeah a couple approached me. Those are still on the table, and I just recently signed with CAA, the largest and biggest talent agency in Hollywood, so they've got lots of talent that they will sort of start pushing and funneling towards it if they think that the roles are there."

Spawn will be coming from Blumhouse, makers of The Purge, Paranormal Activity, and The Belko Experiment. The budget will be in the $10 million range, and no release date has been announced.

Todd McFarlane Wants Leonardo DiCaprio For The Spawn Movie

Bleeding Cool February 16, 2017:
Kevin Smith To Create A TV Series Based On Todd McFarlane’s Sam & Twitch For BBC America

[TheButcher]

THR AUGUST 08, 2017:
Chris Pratt's 'Cowboy Ninja Viking' Gets Summer 2019 Release Date

Universal's adaptation of Cowboy Ninja Viking, starring Chris Pratt, will hit theaters on June 28, 2019, the beginning of the lucrative July Fourth holiday corridor.

That's welcome news for fans of the Image Comics graphic novel. The film, which has been in the works since 2014, is finally a go, with Michael De Luca coming aboard as one of the producers alongside Guymon Casady, Mark Gordon and Pratt.

Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World) stars as a new kind of assassin who manifests the toughest skills of three different personas. The graphic novel is from AJ Lieberman and illustrator Riley Rossmo.

Cowboy Ninja Viking further strengthens the relationship between Pratt and Universal, home of the Jurassic World franchise. The project is out to directors.

Pratt, who first became interested in Cowboy Ninja in 2014, is one of Hollywood's most in-demand actors and has a full dance card. He was in theaters this summer in Disney and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He'll make an appearance in The Avengers: Infinity War, which is set to bow May 4, 2018, while Jurassic World: Hidden Kingdom is slated to open June 22, 2018.

So far, the only other film scheduled to open on June 28, 2019, is Paramount's untitled Transformers 7.

[TheButcher]

Comics Alliance Mar 30, 2011:
Nonplayer: Nate Simpson Talks About His Much-Anticipated Debut [Exclusive Art]

A bit of background: Simpson has been working in videogames since 1993, and currently lives in Seattle. He saved some money, left his job, and is putting all his effort into his original comics project, Nonplayer. The series is about a tamale delivery girl in the future who's a super-badass at the world's most popular full-immersion MMO called "Warriors of Jarvath." But things start to get weird when she sets out on a raid against celebrity, non-human character King Heremoth. Simpsons says things diverge radically in the second issue, but won't go into more details than that, which is probably best for readers.

Comics Alliance Mar 11, 2011:
‘Nonplayer’ by Nate Simpson: The Next Image Comics Classic [Preview]

Image Comics carries on its tradition of introducing the best new talent with an all-new title from rising star Nate Simpson. Combining references to massively multi-player online roleplaying games and science fiction/fantasy mainstays with exquisite illustration, Simpson's NONPLAYER is planned as a six-issue miniseries, with the first installment out in April.

NONPLAYER is the story of Dana Stevens, a young woman who retreats from the dismal workaday world of the future into the digital fantasy realm of Jarvath, where she's a fearless warrior. Dana is not alone in her pursuits, however, and before long her adventures begin to cat-and-mouse back and forth between the two worlds.

Prior to NONPLAYER, Simpson made video games come to life for their players in his previous job as a concept artist. After taking a year off to "learn how to make comics," though, he is quickly establishing himself as not only as a gifted illustrator, but as a storyteller with a wonderfully unique voice as well.

"A comic book is just about the most elaborate thing a person can create without assistance, which sounds like heaven to somebody who's spent fourteen years in video game development," Simpson explained. "I've had a lot of fun putting all the nuts and bolts of this story together and figuring out how best to approach everything in terms of production, and I can't wait to share this story with people."

Added Image Publisher Eric Stephenson, "It's always a pleasure to link up with a creator as well-rounded and imaginative as Nate. Every aspect of NONPLAYER is so well-considered, it's like working with an old pro. As first timers go, Nate is one of the most impressive I've ever seen."

Indeed, Simpson has built a panoramic world through sequential art, with each interior page more lovingly executed than the last. The dual worlds of NONPLAYER are depicted with detailed rendering, whether in Dana's real world or in the lavishly real game world. The overall effect is not dissimilar to the lush artwork found in some of Europe's best and most loved comics, but with a distinct flavor all Simpson's own.

NONPLAYER, a 32-page full-color science fiction and fantasy comic will be in stores April 6, 2011, for $2.99. For more information, visit http://www.nonplayercomic.com

The Playlist Feb 2, 2012:
Jane Goldman Adapting Eisner Award-Winning Comic 'Nonplayer' For Warner Bros.

“I’m working on a sci-fi project for Warners [Bros.],” she told us. “It’s called ‘Nonplayer,’ an adaptation of a really wonderful comic that just won the Eisner for [Promising] Newcomer.” “Nonplayer,” if you recall, is an Image Comic that was recently picked up by the WB for David Heyman (“Harry Potter“) and Roy Lee (“The Departed“) to produce. The story follows a young woman who escapes from her drab life into an online fantasy world. “It’s futuristic, it’s incredible,” Goldman enthuses about the story, which is set in a distant future. “Science fiction is not a genre I’m used to [writing], but it’s my favorite.”

Deadline October 26, 2017:
Legendary Nabs Rights To Comic ‘Nonplayer’, With ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Scribe To Pen Movie

EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Entertainment has acquired film rights to Nonplayer, the comic book series from writer-illustrator Nate Simpson. The pic will be written by Eric Pearson, whose credits include co-writer on Disney/Marvel’s upcoming Thor: Ragnarok and who wrote on ABC’s Marvel’s Agent Carter.

The comic, from Simpson and Image Comics, is said to be in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Matrix. It follows a tamale delivery girl named Dana Stevens who lives the life she wishes she could as a high-ranking warrior doing anything she can to level up in an augmented reality video game. When AI infects the game and madness spills into the real world, she’ll learn that escaping from reality is no longer an option, and has to level up and become her alter-ego in the real world.

The first in the two-comic series was published in 2011. Nonplayer #2 hit shelves in 2015.

Pearson is repped by ICM Partners and attorney David Colden. Simpson is with attorney Marc Von Arx at Nelson/Davis.

[TheButcher]

Screen Rant:
Thor: Ragnarok star Tessa Thompson expresses her interest in playing Alana in an adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga.